


the downside of super

by pastelskrulls



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ms. Marvel (Comics), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Canon Identity Reveal, Downsides of an Enhanced Metabolism, Gen, Madison Ignores Canon, Mention of Kidnapping and Forced Child Labor, Mixing of MCU and Comic Canon, Peter Parker Interacting With Children, Peter-centric, Post canon, Pre Canon, This Was Supposed to be Like 500 Words WTF, Typical Spider-Man Baddies, hunger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 17:05:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14265678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelskrulls/pseuds/pastelskrulls
Summary: After he got superpowers, Peter was always hungry. After Uncle Ben died, there was never enough food. These two things don't seem to work well together.





	the downside of super

**Author's Note:**

> this turned out way longer than i thought it would. oh well. this starts right after peter goes to germany and the lat scene picks up exactly where the movie left off

Before the bite, Peter ate a normal amount. Well, normal for a teenage boy. There was never a lack of food in the house, given May and Ben both had full time jobs. They weren’t rolling in money, but they had enough. The perfect amount for a family of three, normal people.

And then Peter got his powers. He was hungrier, he noticed. So he just ate more. There was food. Until Ben died. With the cut of income, May bought less, but they still got by. And then Ben’s life insurance ran out. They cut back more, gave up more. Peter was always hungry. Not that he’d ever let May know. She had enough to deal with, and there was no way to explain an enhanced metabolism without mentioning Spider-Man. So he let her think everything was fine. He scarfed down every bit of food he could get and tried to ignore his growling stomach.

Their meals were meager, even for non-superheroes. Even when May took another job, they were living paycheck to paycheck. There was always something more important than a little extra food. Always a leak to fix or a cupboard to replace. So Peter kept quiet.

***

The night air was cool, chilling Peter, even through his new suit. After his mission with Iron Man and The Avengers, Peter thought it would be hard to return to normal, small time crime. But with his new suit, it was easier than ever. A cold wind blew through the docks of Hell’s Kitchen and Peter shivered again. Normally he wouldn’t stray so far from Queens, but he heard that a group of missing kids had been tracked here, though the police were still planning their next move, and he couldn’t stand by while these kids were forced to do God knows what.

A door to the warehouse he’d been staking out swung open. A small figure, probably no older than him, stepped into the night, fading into the shadows, and started running.Not long after, two burly men burst through the door and gave chase. They were quickly gaining on the child, and Peter knew there was no chance for them on their own. _Luckily they aren’t alone, _he thought. He swung down from his perch on the neighboring building and planted himself between the kid and the goons. The two men skid to a halt, nearly crashing into Peter. They were both easily twice his size, muscled and built like the wrestlers Peter saw at the stadiums. Like the ones he used to fight. Before either man could do anything, he sprayed webbing into both their faces, using the leverage and sticky rope to pull himself up, kicking them both up the head.__

__One of the men gave a muffled scream and they both fell to the ground, unconscious. Peter turned around. The kid was still there, staring at him. Up close, he could tell they were much younger than he thought, couldn’t be older than ten._ _

__“Are you okay?” he asked. He took a step closer, but the child flinched back. He quickly moved away, throwing his hands up in a placating manner. “It’s alright, I won’t hurt you,” he said. “What’s your name?”_ _

__“Rosa,” she whispered. She had her face tucked into the collar of her thin, threadbare coat. The sight made Peter frown._ _

__Before he knew what he was doing, he dropped to a knee, pulled off his mask, and held out his hand. “I’m Peter, it’s nice to meet you Rosa. I’m going to help you, okay?”_ _

__She nodded and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He rubbed her back and secured one arm under her legs before shooting a web to the roof across the street. He pulled them up and set her down._ _

__“You’ll be safe up here, don’t worry. I’ll come back once the bad guys are gone, okay?” She nodded again. He took his backpack off and pulled out a sweater, a snack, and a water bottle. “Here, you look cold,” he handed her the sweater, helping her pull it on, and then pushed the food and water into her hands. “Eat up, I’ll be right back.” She smiled. “Oh, and can you not tell anyone my name? Please?” She nodded and he smiled before pulling his mask back on and swinging down._ _

__He landed on the side of the building, right below a window. He cracked it open and crawled inside. The sight below him was horrific. Children were lined up, hunched over tables, and they seemed to be working, folding boxes and taping them shut. Rage rushed through Peter’s veins, replacing the chill. He scanned the room for anyone who seemed to be in charge. There were four goons stationed around the room, blocking all entrances except the one Rosa had left through. Next to the small emergency door, was a booth, with a tall, skeletal man sat inside. Before Peter could even move towards him, a figure stepped out of the shadows behind him and landed a blow to his skull. The man cried out, calling the attention of the guards. They began running to the booth, and Peter took out the closest one with a spurt of webbing, leaving him attached to the exposed brick. He leapt at the next one, landing on his back and sending them both to the ground. He quickly jumped to his feet and secured that one too. He set his sights on the one nearest to the booth, ran, and jumped, kicking him in the chest. The blow knocked the wind out of him, sending him sprawling to the ground._ _

__Peter looked around. The children, who all had to be under thirteen, were staring at him with a mixture of fear and hope shining in their eyes. One man, the last of the four, stood behind a group of children. He drew a gun and gripped one of them around the wrist. The boy in his grasp was small, skinny, and defenseless. Peter felt panic surge through him, not sure what to do. The kid was scared, tears forming in his eyes, when a club flew from the otherside of the warehouse and hit the man square in the forehead. He fell back, barely giving Peter time to stumble forwards and catch the boy._ _

__He turns around, the boy in his arms clinging to him. In front of him is a men dressed entirely in black, a mask with no eyes tied around his head, and blood covering his knuckles. The children flocked away from him, gathering around Peter. Peter recognized him, though he had thought he was only an urban legend. The devil of Hell’s Kitchen._ _

__“I need to call the cops,” Peter said._ _

__“Excuse me?” The devil asked._ _

__“For the kids. They need to go home, and I think it would be best to- to call the cops. You know- um to help them,” he trailed off. The man in front of him gave off a terrifying aura, and Peter’s words just tumbled from his mouth. His heart was pounding, and he was sure the older man could hear it. A moment passed before the devil nodded._ _

__“There’s a phone in the booth. I’ll go place the call,” he said. His voice was gruff and hard. He walked away, leaving Peter to usher the children out of the warehouse. Soon, a squad of patrol cars pulled up and Peter stepped away. He climbed up to the roof he had dropped Rosa off on and found her, huddled in the corner, asleep in his sweater, granola bar wrapper lying by her side. He crawled over to her, gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyes peeled open, and she huddled in on herself._ _

__“Do you want to go home Rosa? I got rid of the bad guys,” he whispered. She nodded. He pulled the sweater off of her slight frame, wrapped her up in his arms, and jumped down from the roof. He could see only one officer not occupied with taking care of the children or dealing with the thugs. He walked over to him, head bent low, and handed Rosa to him. The man’s eyes widened as the girl was passed into his arms._ _

__“Spider-Man, you shouldn’t be-” he started._ _

__“Please don’t arrest Spider-Man,” Rosa said.The man looked down. The girl in his arms was squirming, trying to grab onto Peter’s shoulders, neck, any surface she could. “Please, he saved me,” she whispered. The officer stared at Peter, gaze cold and piercing, and then nodded. Peter felt relief flood through him and quickly scrambled back to the roof for his backpack. He landed deftly next to the abandoned pile of stuff, and then his spidey-sense went off. He spun around, taking up a fighting stance. The devil stepped into the faint moonlight, hands up in surrender. Peter relaxed, letting his shoulders drop. The adrenaline drained out of him without an enemy to fight. He realized how hungry he was. It was an all consuming thing, and he thought longingly of the granola bar he had given Rosa. _But she needed it more,_ he reminded himself. His stomach growled lightly as the fatigue set in, something almost inaudible, even in the stillness of the night.__

____The devil frowned. “You’re hungry,” he said. Though it sounded like a question, it was posed as a fact._ _ _ _

____“I-” Peter started._ _ _ _

____“You need to eat, you’re growing,” the devil said. There was no room for argument._ _ _ _

____“What? No-no I’m not! I’m an adult! I-” The devil held up a hand, silencing him._ _ _ _

____“You’re heartbeat is too quick to be an adult, even one who just came out of a fight.And your voice is far too high pitched.”_ _ _ _

____“How do you know my heartbeat?” Peter asked._ _ _ _

____“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Do you have food at your house?”_ _ _ _

____“That doesn’t really matter to you-”_ _ _ _

____The devil pulled out a twenty dollar bill and shoved it into Peter’s hand before running and leaping off the edge of the roof._ _ _ _

____Peter stood there, blood stained bill crumpled in his hand, watching the figure of the devil disappear into the night._ _ _ _

____***  
Gym was before lunch. It was hell; running, rope climbing, and floor hockey were a lot harder when you were trying to ignore a growling stomach. The bell rang and Peter rushed to the locker room, dropping his basketball in the crate. He picked up his bag and pulled on his jeans and t-shirt. Being a superhero, it turned out, was a great way to burn calories. Even when you didn’t want to. By the time he got to the cafeteria, the line was already about twenty people back. He grasped around in his pocket for the money he had saved from his last babysitting job. He grabbed a lunch, chicken strips and tater tots, and made his way through the line. He punched in his number and handed the woman at the computer his fistful of change._ _ _ _

____He found Ned at their usual table, already eating his bagged lunch. Peter sat down next to him and started slowly picking at his food. He wanted to scarf it down, but he also wanted it to last. He was so, so hungry. The feeling gnawed at his stomach, he couldn’t concentrate, even when Ned started talking about his theories for the next Star Wars film._ _ _ _

____“Um, Peter? Are you okay?”_ _ _ _

____He looked up. Ned was staring at him, concern painted across his features. “Yeah, I’m-” he was cut off by a growl from his stomach. The emptiness was painful, and Peter curled in on himself._ _ _ _

____“Dude, you need to eat,” Ned said. He reached into his lunch bag and pulled out half an orange and plastic bag half full of trail mix. He shoved them at Peter, who took them gratefully. The food was good, doubly so because it came from Ned, but it didn’t fill him. The pain was still there an ever present shadow over Peter._ _ _ _

____“Thank you,” he said. Ned was smiling at him, though he still looked worried. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a rumble shook the cafeteria._ _ _ _

____The wall on the far left, facing out to the street, collapsed. In the hole stood a giant dog, a tuning fork on its head. The dog was quickly followed by an equally giant girl, and Peter wasn’t sure how she would fit into the school. The dog ran into the cafeteria and started licking students. The girl dashed forwards, shrinking as she ran, and wrapped her now noodly arms around the beast, pulling it back. People started running, Ned pulling Peter along, out the doors. In the flood of students, Peter was able to drop away from Ned and get to the bathroom. He changed into his suit and climbed above the mob of students._ _ _ _

____When he got back into the cafeteria, the dog was sitting, the girl standing in front of it. He dropped to the floor and the dog started barking again, running up to him and knocking him to the ground._ _ _ _

____“Lockjaw, no!” The girl screamed. The dog, apparently Lockjaw, moved off of him, and Peter got a clear look at the girl. She had brown hair that reached her shoulders, brown skin, a blue domino mask, a red scarf, and a dress with a lightning bolt._ _ _ _

____“Who are you?” he asked._ _ _ _

____“I’m Ms Marvel. I usually stay in New Jersey, but my dog ran off. Um, sorry about that by the way,” she said. A faint flush covered her cheeks. “So, who are you?”_ _ _ _

____“I’m Spider-Man. Um, did you say your dog took you from New Jersey to New York?”_ _ _ _

____Ms Marvel laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Yeah, he’s really good at running,” she said. She pulled a backpack Peter didn’t notice she had off of her shoulders and grabbed a wallet. “Do you have a Circle Q here?”_ _ _ _

____“A what?”_ _ _ _

____“It’s a convenience store,” she said._ _ _ _

____“No, but there’s a PDQ down the street, if you’re hungry.”_ _ _ _

____“Awesome, wanna go get something?”_ _ _ _

____“I don’t have money,” Peter said._ _ _ _

____“That’s fine, I’ll buy you something!”_ _ _ _

____“Alright then,” he said. Ms Marvel smiled and turned to Lockjaw._ _ _ _

____“Go home, Lockjaw!” The dog licked her and bounded through the hole._ _ _ _

____Peter stared at the pile of concrete and bricks, scattered over the floor. “Should we do something about that?”_ _ _ _

____Ms Marvel followed his gaze. “Absolutely, and then, snacks.”_ _ _ _

____He nodded. Ms Marvel walked through the hole, waiting for Peter to follow, before she made her hand giant, scooping up the debris. She stacked it together and Peter laid down webs as glue._ _ _ _

____“That should hold until someone can fix it properly.” he said. She nodded and picked him up in her giant hand, increasing the rest of her proportions to fit. In a few steps, they were in front of the PDQ. She set him down and they walked inside, other patrons gaping at the two superheroes._ _ _ _

____***_ _ _ _

____“What the fuck!”_ _ _ _

____Peter spun around. May was standing in the doorway and he was in full costume._ _ _ _

____“This isn’t- I’m not! Don’t freak out!”_ _ _ _

____“How long have you been doing this?” She demanded. Her voice was soft, cracking when she spoke._ _ _ _

____“Since Ben,” he swallowed his grief. “Since last year,” he whispered._ _ _ _

____“Why didn’t you tell me? How could you go out and put yourself in danger every night?” Her words were harsh and accusing, making Peter flinch._ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry, May. I just wanted to help people. I need to help people. Ben said-“_ _ _ _

____“I don’t care what Ben said! He was a great man, but nothing he said should make you risk your life! That’s not what he would have wanted!” Peter could see tears forming in May’s eyes, and they felt like stones in his gut. “We need to talk, come on.” She grabbed his hand and led him to the couch, sitting him down._ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. Please, don’t kick me out.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____May’s features softened. “Peter, I’m not going to kick you out. No matter what, I would never force you out of our home. Don’t ever think that.” She grabbed his cheeks, cupping it in her hands, and kissed his forehead. “I love you, so much.”_ _ _ _

____“I love you too, May.”_ _ _ _

____“So, you have powers?”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah,” Peter cringed, he’d been dreading this._ _ _ _

____“How?”_ _ _ _

____“This is gonna sound crazy, but a radioactive spider bit me.”_ _ _ _

____“And what powers did that give you?”_ _ _ _

____“Super strength, stickiness,” May raised an eyebrow. “Enhanced healing, metabolism, and agility. And a precognitive sense.”_ _ _ _

____May put her head in her hands, and Peter thought she might start crying again. “That’s so much,” she whispered. “You’re just a baby.” Her voice cracked, and Peter wrapped his arms around her._ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry, May.”_ _ _ _

____***_ _ _ _

____The next morning, Peter woke up to the smell of cinnamon. Slightly burnt cinnamon, but still. He rolled out of bed and pulled on the sweatpants lying on his floor. May was in the kitchen, which, from experience, wasn’t the best thing to wake up to._ _ _ _

____“Hey, May,” he said._ _ _ _

____She spun around from her place at the stove, spatula in hand. Behind her, Peter could see half a bowl of batter, a finished stack of blackened pancakes, and a greased pan._ _ _ _

____“Morning, Peter,” she said, eyes still red from the night before. She spun back around, pouring more batter onto the pan._ _ _ _

____Peter eyed the plate of food she had already set aside. It was about twice a regular serving of pancakes, and had grilled brussel sprouts sitting on the side. “Um, isn’t that kind of a lot of food?”_ _ _ _

____“Last night, you said you had an enhanced metabolism, right?”_ _ _ _

____Peter nodded._ _ _ _

____“That means you burn calories faster, and I will not let you starve. And, you’re a growing boy. You need a lot of food, especially if you want to be a superhero,” she said. She flipped a pancake and Peter could see that it was a perfect golden brown. He smiled._ _ _ _

____“Thanks, May,” he whispered. She was facing him again. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, engulfed him in her love. Over her shoulder, Peter could see smoke starting to rise from the pan. He pulled away and lurched forwards to turn off the stove. Behind him, May laughed, grabbing her spatula again and moving the pancake onto the already full plate. She pushed it towards him, along with a bottle of syrup and a fork and knife._ _ _ _

____“I love you, Peter. Just, promise to be safe, okay?”_ _ _ _

____“Alright, May.”_ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr at scarrletwiccan


End file.
